Dont throw the baby out with the bath water they say...Laminated b&S was looked upon
as inferior, and often associated with guitars from the far east.
However, there are some very nice guitars with laminates. The Gospel reissue is one.
The back is a pressed parobole, and as such has no bracing. This was like the original gospel of the 70s
the J-55 of the 70s and of course Guilds well known D-25.
Not bad sounding at all.

I dont have anything against laminated b/s, they have a place on the market and can sound particularly good. But what is the point of making a laminate b/s Gibson .... isnt it basically then an overpriced Epiphone ..?

I totally agree Aussie. I have to get more than the name on headstock and laminated doesn't cut it when buying a Gibson

For me it would all depend on the price of course, along with the tone, playability, and other characteristics of the instrument. I would not out-of-hand dismiss an acoustic based on partial laminate construction. Guess we all have our own criteria, and where I draw the line is that the top must be solid.

One of the strengths of the various incarnations of Gibson acoustic has been its willingness to experiment and innovate. That's not to say I'm going to rush out and exchange rubles for everything they ever tried, but... Quite a few good designers have played with building a laminate for the back, such as the Selmer-Maccaferri gypsy guitars.

Sure, but a solid top and laminate Gibson construction is what basically Epiphone is. So why would you want to pay $1k for a laminate Epiphone branded as Gibson when you can have the same for $300 ... ?

bobouz, on 29 June 2012 - 11:48 AM, said:

For me it would all depend on the price of course, along with the tone, playability, and other characteristics of the instrument. I would not out-of-hand dismiss an acoustic based on partial laminate construction. Guess we all have our own criteria, and where I draw the line is that the top must be solid.

I cannot say this for certain about Gibson laminates, but was certainly the case with Asian imports.
The laminates on an Asian import had a very thin top of say Mahogany, underneath was simply poor quality ply wood,
A better laminated guitar would have multiple layers of the same type of wood eg mahogany. So not all laminates are born equal.
By the way, the B-25 reissue has laminated B&S.

It's Like buying a big beautiful house with laminate instead of hardwood. The first thing you think is cheap. I bought my wm45 for $560 dollars and it's solid why would Gibson use plywood for the back and sides of a guitar

Very interesting. My understanding is that the B-25 of the mid '60s had a solid back & laminated sides (which I confirmed on the sides of the '65 B25n I owned, as someone had drilled a jack hole in an LP position). The B25 lasted into the early '70s, and I'd guesss that at some point the specs changed to both the back and sides being laminated.

Sure, but a solid top and laminate Gibson construction is what basically Epiphone is. So why would you want to pay $1k for a laminate Epiphone branded as Gibson when you can have the same for $300 ... ?

Well, like I said, the overall price would be a major consideration, but there are other factors that can end up as part of the equation, such as the overall build quality, historic connection, a unique tone, etc. Vintage Epiphone Texans made by Gibson with laminated sides command serious dollars. Vintage J160s with laminated tops, as well as reissue John Lennon models, are rather spendy beasts (yes, it's supposed to be plugged in). Occasional reissues as have been mentioned above, Guilds and a few Gibsons with laminated arched backs, Django's jazz boxes as noted above by Jerry, and more. Martin has had many laminated models (pre-Mexico models such as the DM), built in the USA, with the same high build quality as their solid wood counterparts - costing significantly more than a $300 Epi, and generally well worth it. All of that said, would I be interested in a used reissue Gospel? Nope, but a used reissue B-25? Just maybe.

Very interesting. My understanding is that the B-25 of the mid '60s had a solid back & laminated sides (which I confirmed on the sides of the '65 B25n I owned, as someone had drilled a jack hole in an LP position). The B25 lasted into the early '70s, and I'd guesss that at some point the specs changed to both the back and sides being laminated.

Bobouz...My error. It is just the sides that are laminates on the new custom B-25. Solid back and top.

Sure, but a solid top and laminate Gibson construction is what basically Epiphone is. So why would you want to pay $1k for a laminate Epiphone branded as Gibson when you can have the same for $300 ... ?

Take a look at the 60s Hummingbirds and Doves -- lots of laminated backs and/or sides with solid tops on those.

Take a look at the 60s Hummingbirds and Doves -- lots of laminated backs and/or sides with solid tops on those.

Some people pay more than $1K for those, even now!

Now that we talk laminated back'n'sides, can anyone recommend a waterproof way to check if ones old Gibsons are laminated.I know the common answer is to look at the wood-patterns from both sides, but mahogany is so fine grained (like small pine-needles) that I find that test method difficult. Even more difficult it is to live with 3 vintage 'squares' without being sure of the materials.